Hard work, combined with clever party hopping, has helped propel an autorickshaw driver to the post of mayor of Pimpri Chinchwad Municipal Corporation ( PCMC). Rahul Jadhav, who entered politics over a decade ago, contested on a BJP ticket and defeated NCP's Vinod Nadhe in the mayoral elections in Pune's neighbouring municipal corporation.
Pimpri Chinchwad municipal corporation is in Pune district and had been a stronghold of the NCP. In the municipal elections in 2017, the BJP snatched the corporation from NCP.
Jadhav entered politics when Raj Thackeray formed his Maharashtra Navnirman Sena in 2006. Prior to that, he had been an autorickshaw driver for close to a decade. Jadhav had also toiled hard on his farm for two years.
With his entry into MNS, Jadhav's rise began. He first became a municipal councillor in 2012 on an MNS ticket. In 2017, Jadhav quit the MNS ahead of the municipal polls and joined the BJP under leadership of independent legislator Mahesh Landge. Having secured a BJP ticket, Jadhav won his second election in 2017. He was appointed as a member of the local standing committee.
With the term of Mayor Nitin Kalje coming to an end, Jadhav, who has studied till SSC, was announced as the candidate for mayoral elections.
In the election held on Saturday, Jadhav secured 80 votes, while Nadhe polled just 33 votes.
A keen follower of bullock cart racing, Jadhav came to PCMC dressed like Mahatma Jyotirao Phule. Autorickshaw drivers in Pimpri Chinchwad are happy that one among them has today risen to become mayor of the municipal corporation.